Hockey stick



06!. 13, 1970 DUMQNT 3,533,623

HOCKEY STICK Filed Oct. 2, 1967 wwwg ggg ddm nited States 3,533,623 HOCKEY STICK Frederick T. Dumont, 789 Chelsea St., Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada Filed Oct. 2, 1967, Ser. No. 672,304 Claims priority, application Canada, July 7, 1967, 994,873 Int. Cl. A63b 59/14 US. Cl. 273-67 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hockey stick of wood or other suitable material including the usual shaft and blade of regulation length. The lower end of the shaft instead of forming an integral part of the heel of the blade, is moved forwardly along the blade towards the center thereof so that the lower end of the shaft is closer to the area of the blade which affects puck control.

This invention relates to hockey sticks and in particular to the laminated wood type of stick.

Hockey sticks used by both amateurs and professionals have not changed drastically in configuration in the last few decades. There has been substantial improvement made to the lamination of the blades, to the shafts of the stick both to prevent breakage of the blade and also to take advantage of the securing together of two different types of wood. It is preferable to have the shaft of a fairly resilient type of wood, such as ash and it is preferable to have the blade of a solid type of wood such as rock elm or the like. For this reason, hockey sticks of metal and other materials have not been too successful as they transmit too much vibration from the blade to the players hands. One of the main disadvantages of the known types of hockey sticks both professional and amateur, is that the blades have a tendency to split or break from the shafts, especially if the stick is used for the slap-shot where the puck is engaged near the toe of the blade. Preferably, the puck is engaged at the center portion or towards the heel portion of the blade but such positioning is not always possible during a game. There is, in effect, two levers in a hockey stick. The shaft acts as a lever for the blade and the heel of the blade acts as a lever for the puck controlled adjacent the toe of the blade.

The stick according to the present invention is adapted to improve the function of hockey sticks in general and in particular the control and shooting of the puck by moving the shaft of the stick away from the heel of the blade and slightly towards the toe portion thereof. This brings the lower end of the shaft closer to the portion of the blade that actually controls the puck during stick handling and other such play as well as during the shooting of the puck whether such shooting is done by the wrist-shot method or the slap-shot method. Moreover, it provides the player with better leverage on the puck, as shooting the puck from adjacent the lower end of the shaft will apply less spin on the puck and thereby cause it to take a straighter path of travel. Furthermore, by having the main leverage point closer to the center of the blade, there is less chance of the blade breaking under severe handling.

According to the invention, therefore, there is provided a hockey stick having a shaft and blade both being of regulation length, the shaft of the stick being secured to the blade at a position slightly remote from the heel portion thereof, thereby effectively moving said shaft toward the center of the blade so as to improve the function of the stick.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Patented Oct. 13, 1970 FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of hockey sticks manufactured according to the present invention and specifically in the first block assembly, FIG. 1 being the junior type of stick and FIG. 2 being the senior or professional type of stick;

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the outline respectively of the junior and senior type of sticks after they have been cut from the block assemblies; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are profile views of a portion of the handle or shaft and the blades of the junior and senior type of sticks respectively in their finished form.

Referring to FIG. 1, a hockey stick generally indicated at 2 includes a shaft or handle 4 and a blade portion 6. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, these are formed firstly from rough pieces of wood which are laminated together in the known manner and in the senior or professional type of stick the downwardly extending pieces of the stick parallel to and adjacent the shaft 4 may include bordering or reinforcing pieces 8 and 10, the piece 10 only being used in the junior type of stick. Normally, in sticks that are presently used, the shaft 4 would take the position of the member 10 shown in the drawings.

The blade 6 has a toe portion 12 and a heel portion 14 and, generally speaking, the portion of the blade or stick which controls the puck extends usually from the lower end 16 of the shaft 4 to the toe 12 of the blade '6.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the construction described in FIGS. 1 through 4 provides a finished stick where the shaft 4 is moved towards the center of the blade 6 slightly remote from the heel portion 10. The puck control area shown by peeked line at 18 is substantially closer to the lower end of the shaft 4, and therefore closer to the optimum leverage point, than in ordinary hockey sticks.

It has been found in the manufacture of these sticks that the measurement of approximately 1% inches between the heel of the blade and the back portion 20 of the shaft 4 is an acceptable distance to have the shaft remotely positioned from the heel 10 of the stick. However, such measurements are only a matter of degree and it may be found that more or less distance between the shaft 4 and the heel 10 is desirable under certain circumstances.

I claim:

1. A regulation size wooden hockey stick of the laminated type comprising a laminated shaft and blade, said blade having a heel portion and toe portion and said blade being formed by at least a pair of wooden portions parallel to the lower end of said shaft, one on either side thereof, and an angular portion secured to and protruding outwardly from the parallel portions constituting the forward or toe end of the blade; the shaft being of one piece construction and of constant dimension throughout its length; the lower end of the shaft extending to the bottom of the blade and being positioned remote from the heel of the blade intermediate the heel and toe thereof so as to be located closer to the portion of the blade that controls a hockey puck thereby improving the leverage of the shaft on the puck and the function of said stick.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,183,473 5/1916 McNiece 27367 2,504,242 4/1950 Yerger 27367 1,438,030 12/ 1922 Hall 273 67 1,821,889 9/1931 Glahe 273-67 FOREIGN PATENTS 618,310 2/ 1949 Great Britain.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner R. J. APLEY, Assistant Examiner 

